80--- Barley Risotto with Fennel and Crimini Mushroom Saute

Barley is a short-season, early-maturing cereal grain that can be grown in both irrigated and dry lands. If I had more garden space, I would grow it. It can be used in soups, salads, side dishes, or as your breakfast cereal.

In addition to FIBER, barley is also a great source if niacin, which is a B-vitamin. Niacin can reduce platelet aggregation and can also help to reduce cholesterol levels.

This recipe utilizes this wonderful grain in place of the rice used in a traditional Italian risotto.

Barley Fennel Risotto with Crimini Mushroom Saute

Serves 4

4 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1 cup pearl barley

1 Tbsp fennel seeds

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil

1 lb crimini mushrooms, washed, stemmed and sliced thick

1 clove garlic, pressed and finely minced

1 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, finely minced

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat vegetable broth to a boil, then set aside.

In a large nonstick flat sided skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender. Add fennel seeds, pepper and thyme and heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add pearled barley and 2 cups warm broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir frequently and simmer until most of the stock is absorbed, 4-5 minuets. Add remaining warm stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring occasionally, waiting until stock is absorbed before adding more.

While barley cooks, heat remaining 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet. Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Add mushrooms and saute until lightly browned. Sprinkle in parsley and salt, cover and reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are tender.

When barley is fully cooked, stir in Parmesan cheese. Spoon barley into bowls, then top with mushrooms.

Nutrition Info per 1 cup barley and 1/4 cup mushrooms: 304 calories, 6 g fat, 13 g protein, 40 g carbohydrates, 10 g fiber

80--- Polenta-Stuffed Poblano Rellenos with Spicy Chipotle Sauce

My hubby really likes chile rellenos. I have been scratching my head for months trying to figure out a way to make them tasty without stuffing them with cheese (yes my head did start to hurt-- and I got a wrinkle between my eyebrows as well).

Solution: making a creamy polenta flavored with a shredded Parmesan and adding a spicy chipotle chile sauce. The result? Heaven. As declared by my hubster. He even told his friends about them (even the ones who tease him about having to eat healthy all of the time).

Polenta-Stuffed Poblano Rellenos with Chipotle Sauce

Serves 4

PEPPERS

4 whole poblano peppers

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed and finely minced

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup coarse ground cornmeal

2 tsp butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Remove a 1" strip from each pepper, leaving the stem intact. Carefully remove seeds. Place peppers open-side down on baking sheet and spray tops with olive oil spray. Bake in oven for ~15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until peppers are softened and lightly charred. (Note: this can also be done on the grill-- mine was buried in snow).

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until tender. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cover and reduce heat to low. Mixture will thicken gradually. Stir frequently. When mixture reaches a porridge-like consistency, remove from heat and stir in butter, salt and cheese.

Remove peppers from oven and fill with polenta.

CHIPOTLE SAUCE-- prepare ahead

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed and minced

1/4 cup dry red wine

3-4 whole chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce - more or less to adjust for spiciness (you can also add a little extra sauce for smokiness if you like)

1 tsp ground cumin

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

In a medium saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until softened (2-3 minutes). Add tomato paste, wine, and peppers and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in 3 Tbsp water, honey, vinegar, and cumin. Simmer for 3 minutes then remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes.

Add mixture to a food processor and puree. Add more water if thinning is needed. Place in a glass container and chill for 2 hours (can be made a few days ahead also).

When preparing peppers, heat sauce in a small saucepan. Drizzle 1/4 cup sauce over each pepper and serve!

If you have sauce leftover, place it in a glass jar in the refrigerator and use for a hot sauce!

Nutrition Info per 1 stuffed pepper with sauce: 188 calories, 5 g fat, 7 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber

20(ish)--- Frozen Hot Cocoa

I am never sad about the transition from winter into spring. Except for leaving behind hot cocoa. With this frosty beverage, you can carry your hot chocolate experience into summer! Enjoy!

Frozen Hot Cocoa

Serves 4-6 (depending on serving size)

11 oz dark chocolate chips

3 Tbsp hot chocolate mix (I used my homemade version)

1/3 cup white sugar

6 cups skim milk

10 cups ice

In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips over low boiling water, stirring until melted. Whisk in cocoa and sugar until blended. Remove from heat and add 2 cups milk, whisking until smooth. Cool mixture to room temperature.

In a blender, add mixture, remaining milk and ice (you may need to make 2 batches, depending on the size of your blender!). Blend on a high speed until smooth in consistency. Serve in glasses and top with whipped cream if desired!

80--- Rustic Rosemary Breadsticks

I'm starting to get adventurous with yeast now. Yes-- this is pretty wild for me. Crispy wheat breadsticks with a kick. Easy! If I can do it, you can do it. I have everything against me. High altitude, lack of patience, lack of time, one oven........ I could go on.

I really do not think that you can mess these up!! But then you will be snacking on them all day. They are a health-ified breadstick, but they add up. So make them, eat some, then give the rest away as a gift. Unless you have willpower, which I do not. Put that on my list of things against me.


Rustic Rosemary Breadsticks


Makes 32


1 package dry active yeast


1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees)


1/2 tsp table salt


2 Tbsp olive oil


1 1/2 cups wheat flour


~1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour


1 large egg, beaten


2 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves


1 tsp sea salt


2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.



Add table salt, olive oil, and wheat flour. Stir with a large spatula until well-mixed and dough is stretchy (dough will still be very moist). Add all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup at a time until a soft dough is formed (I used 1 cup total). Place dough on lightly floured work surface and knead for 7-8 minutes, adding flour to prevent sticking, until dough is smooth and springy.



Lightly flour a large cutting board. Place dough on board and pat and stretch dough into 8x10" square. Sprinkle rosemary leaves onto dough and press into dough with damp fingertips. Cover loosely with a towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp flour-dusted knife, divide dough in half length-wise. Continue to divide sections in half, until 32 sticks are formed. Place each stick onto baking sheets, close together, pulling each lightly to lengthen. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush each breadstick with beaten egg (you will only use ~1 Tbsp of egg). Combine sea salt and ground pepper in a bowl, then sprinkle each breadstick lightly with mixture.



Bake for ~25-30 minutes. At 10 minutes into cooking, remove each sheet from the oven and use sharp knife to separate any breadsticks that have "grown together". Return to oven and bake until crisp and lightly browned. Remove and allow to cool before storing in airtight container.



Nutrition Info per breadstick: 44 calories, 2 g fat, 2 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates

80--- Minestrone Stew

One last stew to send out winter! This stew is not for those who dislike vegetables. Minestrone is Italian for "one with many ingredients". But don't let the ingredient list scare you!


It's really easy! The flavors of all of these veggies combine into absolute perfection in a minestrone. I call it a stew because of the large chunks of veggies (~1" cubes). I matched the size of my veggies with a larger pasta so that everything blended nicely. I used gnocchi shells (durum wheat pasta shells, not potato), but you could use penne, rotini, or another larger pasta.



Minestrone Stew
Serves 8
12 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2- 14oz cans diced tomatoes, with juice
3 garlic cloves, pressed and finely minced
2 medium zucchini, cubed
2 medium yellow squash, cubed
1 white onion, coarsely chopped
8 medium white mushrooms, stemmed and cubed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 ribs celery, sliced
2 cups baby spinach leaves, stemmed
1- 14oz can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb package pasta of your choice (I used gnocchi shells- not potato), prepared al dente
3 Tbsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
3 large fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp celery salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine zucchini, squash, onion, sage, garlic, and mushrooms in a large bowl and toss with olive oil. Place vegetable chunks onto a large baking sheet and bake for ~12-15 minutes, until softened. Remove from oven and place back into large bowl. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and set aside.

On the stovetop in a large nonstick skillet, add celery and carrots. Saute over medium heat until softened. Add spinach leaves and continue to saute until leaves have wilted. Add softened celery, carrots and spinach to a large stock pot and add broth, canned tomatoes, beans, basil, red pepper, black pepper, rosemary, and celery salt. Bring to a boil, then add zucchini mixture and reduce to a simmer. Heat through for 5 minutes, add cooked pasta, then serve immediately.

Nutrition Info per 1 1/2 cup serving: 309 calories, 2 g fat, 13 g protein, 55 g carbohydrates, 11 g fiber

80--- Thai Tuna Salad with Chickpeas

Tuna fish is a great lean source of protein. Nutritionally, there s not a lot of difference between fresh or frozen and canned tuna..... if you make the right choice. But there are so many choices in canned tuna, it's easy to make the wrong choice. Here's a little breakdown:

Chunk Light Tuna vs. Solid Albacore: Chunk light tuna comes from a slightly smaller fish than albacore tuna, may be light pink in color. Solid albacore may have higher mercury levels than chunk light tuna fish.

Packed in Oil vs. Packed in Water: for 1 cup serving; 289 -331 calories (12-14 g fat) for oil-packed vs. 179 -220 calories (1 -4 g fat) for water packed. Also, in tuna packed in oil, some of the omega-3 fatty acids from the tuna may be leached out by the oil. When you drain the oil from the can, you may lose some of these precious nutrients. Omega-3 fatty acids will not be leached out into water, since water and oil do not mix. Therefore, you can drain the water from a can and not lose omega-3's.

I served this Thai Tuna Salad with Chickpeas over baby spinach leaves. It was a lovely, filling spring meal!

Thai Tuna Salad with Chickpeas

Serves 5

12 oz chunk light tuna in water, drained

2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed if canned

2 medium carrots, shredded

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped coarsely

3 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

DRESSING

1 clove garlic, pressed and finely minced

2 Tbsp sweet Thai chili sauce

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 tsp lite soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp creamy peanut butter, reduced fat

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Combine salad ingredients into a medium bowl and toss until mixed. Whisk dressing ingredients together and add to salad. Mix well. Place in refrigerator for 1-3 hours prior to serving.

Nutrition Info per 1 cup serving: 241 calories, 5 g fat, 22 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 7 g fiber

80--- Zucchini Cakes

While planning my garden this week, I had remembered that I still had frozen zucchini in the freezer from LAST year! Ooops! You know me, nothing goes to waste. I thawed it in the fridge, but it wasn't looking too appetizing. What's a girl to do with soggy zucchini? Make zucchini bread!




These are actually better than zucchini bread. As individual little cakes you get the moist yummy outside all to yourself!




Micronutrients such as folate, vitamin C, manganese, and potassium are found in zucchini. It also contains minimal calories and significant amounts of heart-healthy fiber! In baked goods such as muffins or cookies, the fat can be replaced with ingredients such as applesauce, pumpkin, mashed banana or ................ zucchini!




Zucchini Cakes
Makes 18


1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups zucchini, pureed (mine was previously frozen, thawed, then chopped in a food processor)
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter, sugars, egg and vanilla in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Combine flours, oats, spices, baking soda and baking powder. Beat flour mixture into wet ingredients. Fold in zucchini and walnuts.


Refrigerate mixture for ~30 minutes.


Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop mixture onto sheets, 2 Tbsp at a time, placing each drop 2" apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until cakes are set and slightly golden around edges. Slide parchment paper and cakes off of baking sheets and allow to cool.


Store in an airtight container.

 Nutrition Info per 1 cake: 99 calories, 4 g fat, 2 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber
Recipe adapted and health-ified from Zucchini-Nut-Bread Cookie Sandwiches in Martha Stewart Living Magazine, March 2011